Recording system recording received information on a recording medium while reproducing received information previously recorded on the recording medium

• US 5,706,388 A
• Filed: 12/30/1996
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Isaka, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/777,057
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/125, 386/52, 386/62, 386/65, 386/68, 386/91, 386/64, 348/714, 348/715, 348/154, 348/155
• US Class Current: 386/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

A recording system performs a reproducing operation for previously recorded information without stopping a recording operation for information currently being received. A video signal is received from an external video-signal-supplying source via a communication channel. The recording system is connected to a display unit having a screen. A recording medium is provided on which the video signal is recorded. A recording unit automatically records the video signal currently being received on the recording medium when a recording start command is received while an image according to the video signal currently being received is being projected. A reproducing unit reproduces the video signal recorded on the recording medium when a reproducing start command is received. A controlling unit controls operations of the recording unit and the reproducing unit so that the reproducing operation on the video signal previously recorded on the recording medium and the recording operation on the video signal currently being received are performed at the same time, and thereby the video signal currently being received is recorded on the recording medium while an image is projected in accordance with the video signal previously recorded on the recording medium.

Claims

1. A recording system which records a video signal received from an external video-signal-supply source via a communication channel, the recording system being connected to a display unit having a screen on which an image is projected in accordance with a video signal supplied by the recording system, the recording system comprising:

a recording medium on which the video signal received from the external video-signal-supplying source is recorded;

recording means for recording the video signal received from said external video-signal-supplying source on said recording medium in response to a recording start command received when viewing of the video signal is interrupted;

reproducing means for reproducing the video signal recorded on said recording medium in response to a reproducing start command received when viewing of said video signal is resumed after an interruption; and

controlling means for controlling operations of said recording means and said reproducing means so that said recording means starts a recording operation on said video signal during said interruption and saves a record start position of said recording means on said recording medium when said recording start command is received, and said reproducing means starts a reproducing operation on the video signal recorded on said recording medium at said record start position when said reproducing start command is received, said reproducing operation starting at said record start position on said recording medium to reproduce the video signal recorded on said recording medium during said interruption while said recording operation on the video signal continues simultaneously during reproduction of said video signal recorded during said interruption.

2. The recording system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controlling means comprises positioning means which provides said record start position of said recording means on said recording medium and a reproduce start position of said reproducing means on said recording medium.

3. The recording system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a telephone unit and wherein said recording start command is a detection signal which is generated when a receiver of said telephone unit is off-hooked, and said reproducing start command is a detection signal which is generated when said receiver of said telephone unit is on-hooked.

4. The recording system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a door bell and wherein said recording start command is a detection signal which is generated when said door bell is rung.

5. The recording system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a remote controller through which a command is input by an operator so that said recording start command and said reproducing start command are input through said remote controller.

6. The recording system as claimed in claim 3, wherein an image represented as a video signal received through said telephone unit is projected on said screen of said display unit.

7. The recording system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a video camera so that an image represented as a video signal supplied by said video camera is projected on said screen of said display unit.

8. The recording system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said video signal received from said external video-signal-supplying source is a broadcast television signal.

9. The recording system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said recording medium comprises a recording disk, and the recording operation and the reproducing operation are performed alternately by a single recording/reproducing head sequentially moving on said recording disk in accordance with the determination made by said positioning means.

10. The recording system as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a pair of reception buffer memories and a pair of reproduction buffer memories, each of said reception buffer memories storing the video signal received from said external video-signal-supplying source alternately so that the video signal stored in one of said reception buffer memories is supplied to said recording means while the video signal currently being received is stored in the other of said reception buffer memories, and each of said reproduction buffer memories storing the video signal reproduced from said recording disk alternately so that the video signal stored in one of said reproduction buffer memories is suppled to said display unit while the video signal reproduced from said recording disk is stored in the other of said reproduction buffer memories.

11. The recording system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a compressing unit and a decompressing unit, said compressing unit compressing the video signal supplied from said reception buffer memories to said recording means, and said decompressing unit decompressing the video signal supplied from said reproducing means to said reproduction buffer memories.

12. The recording system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said recording medium comprises a pair of video tapes so that the recording operation is performed on one of said video tapes while the reproducing operation is performed on the other of said video tapes.

13. The recording system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a reception buffer memory which stores the video signal currently being received so that the video signal received during a switching of the recording operation from one of said video tapes to the other of said video tapes is temporarily stored in said reception buffer memory.